Fear: how does it work ?
The reptile brain
Fear occurs when you feel to be in danger. It is a natural response to a perceived threat and serves to keep you alive. The most primitive part of the human brain is known as the '
reptile brain' and is responsible for the fight-or-flight reflex. The fight-or-flight reflex causes the muscles to contract in order to protect the body from harm. Our most instinctive fear is the fear of falling and this is linked to the psoas muscle deep within the body.
Fear in perspective
We respond to certain threats in a healthy manner and this keeps us alive. Dark streets at night, gangs of youths and hostile animals should create a fight-or-flight response and this is good. Talking with your boss should not produce
fear. People imbue everyday situations as being more serious than they are and their bodies become filled with chemicals intended for survival.
Approval
The worst
fear faced by most people is cultural. The pressure to conform is reinforced at many different levels of society. Being individual is not widely encouraged. Society is controlled by business, so the prevailing psychological trends of culture tend to be financial in origin. If you are unorthodox, others will fear you because your behaviour does not meet with their expectations. Unless people are willing to be different, there cannot be change. Change is caused by ending the past. The great leaps of change that have affected our world have come about by people who were willing to try something new, knowing that it would not meet with initial approval, if any. Being
afraid of what others may think is often a hindrance. Providing you are sensitive to others and avoid harming anyone by your actions, what is the problem? People are slow to change and reluctant to let go of the familiar, but some things need to change. Courage is not about fighting people, it is about doing what is right. With pure heart and clear conscience your action should be a demonstration of your integrity. Doing what is right is an important part of taoism and
tai chi.
